Counter molding machine



J. H. STEWART COUNTER MOLDING MACHINE July 14, 1931.

Filed Nov. 25. 1929 2 Sheefts-Sheet 1 July 14, 1931. J. H. STEWART COUNTER MOLDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 25, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 14, 193i JOHN HAMMOND STEWART, or LYNNFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS COUNTER MOLDING MACHINE Application filed November 23, 1929. Serial No. 409,202.

This invention relates to machines and means for molding counter stifi'eners, commonly known as counters, for boots and shoes. Its object has been to form such counters, in molding, with an outwardly eX- tending lip atthe inner margin of the flange which is turned inward to underlap the edges of the innersole at the heel end of the shoe.

Heretofore it has been the practice to mold such counters with a flange lying entirely in one plane or substantially so; the counters so formed being assembled in the shoe with the entirefiange overlapping the innersole and secured thereto by tacks which also pass 16 through the lasted-in edges of the heel part of the upper leather. In the making of welt shoes in this fashion the practice has been to terminate the welt and the rib .of the innersole to which the welt is attached, ad-

"26 jacent to the forward ends of the counter flange, and to sacrifice all benefits of the welt and of the sewed attachment between upper and innersole at'the heel end of the shoe, relying entirely on tacks or nails to secure the innersole, upper, counter and outer sole togetherin this part. Theme of tacks for this purpose is an objectionable feature, heretofore considered unavoidable.

The ultimate object of the invention has -30 been to make possible the continuation of the inseam between the upper and lnnersole entirely around the circuit of the shoe bottom, including the heel part as well as the fore part; and to'enable the Welt also to be 85 carried around the heel and used as the connecting means for this part of the outer sole, if desired; although the welt need not be continued any farther than heretofore. This ultimate object has been accomplished in 4 accomplishingthe primary object first mentione'd, of molding the counter with an outstanding lip from the inturned flange.- Such lip isenabled to lie beside and outside of the continuation, at the heel end, of the stitch receiving 'rib of the innersole, whereby the inseam may be continued all the way around the shoe bottom, the stitches of such seam, instead of tacks, then serving the purpose of securing the upper and counter in place and in attachment with the innersole. Means or instruments for thus molding shoe counters with a flange and an outturned lip connected thereto, in connection with the operating means of a counter molding machine, constitute the substance of the present invention.

In the drawings herewith,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective View showingthe new form of counter which is molded in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation showing particularly the flange turning and lip molding means;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the last or plug which cooperates with the foregoing means and with the usual molds of a .counter molding machine;

Fig.4c is an elevation showing all of the molding, flange turning and lip shaping instruments of the machine in cooperative relationship prior to action on a counter blank;

Fig. 5 is a similar View showingthe instruments in molding action;

Fig. 6 is a. longitudinal section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.;

Fig. 7 is a cross section on line 77 of Fig. 5; 7

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the abutments by which the flange turning instruments are actuated.

Like reference characters designate the same parts wherever they occur in all the figures.

The form of counter above described is shown-in Fig. 1. a represents the body of 85 the counter, 6 its inturned flange, and 0 the stitch-receiving lip formed by molding the marginalpart of the flange so that it extends outward lnstead of being in substantially the same plane with the balance of the flange as heretofore. Such lip and its association with the flange constitute the new eifect produced by my invention.

The novelty of this invention resides particularly in tools or instruments adapted to be applied to counter molding machines of known types, and to be actuated by moving parts of such 'machines, for obtaining the result above mentioned, rather than in the structure or operating means of the machine itself. Consequently, while claiming herein all novelty of combination and cooperation between the new tools and previously existing (or other) operating mechanism, I have shown in the drawings only such tools and the immediately adjacent parts of the machine in operative association, omitting the parts which are already known to those acquainted with the art and are shown in prior patents. Having regard to the prior art it may be understood that the parts shown at 1 and 2 in Figs. 4 and 5 represent the ways or guides in which the flange presser of the old type machines travels and 3 represents a fragment of the table or bed on which the molding last or plug is mounted. The part 4 is a plate which travels in the guides 1 and 2 in the same way, and is moved by the same means, as the flange turning plate of the old type machine, but in this machine has no flange turning function and serves simply as a carrier for the two flange and lip molding members. 5 is the plug or last, forming the interior mold member, being supported and mounted as heretofore, but differing from the prior art in having an extension 7 from its forward side (corresponding to the bottom of an ordinary last), the lateral bounding surfaces of which extension have the outline desired to be given to the lip c and project from the shoulder 8 on which the flange is formed.

The carrier 4 has a recess in its rear face (the face next to the last) in which is mounted and secured by screws 9 a fixed rear presser 10 and in which are connected by pivots l1 and 12 two lateral swinging pressers 13 and 14. These pressers have concave surfaces 15, 16 and 17 which collectively form an outline similar to the surface 7 of the last when the pivoted pressers are in a certain position. They are mounted in such relation to the last as to embrace the surface 7 when the carrier 4 is advanced; thus embracing it closely enough to confine the lip of the counter under pressure, and their rear faces being at the proper distance from the shoulder 8 of the last to confine and press against the latter the flange b of the counter.

The parts 18 and 19 in Figs. 4 and 5 represent the usual outer molds of a counter molding machine by which the body of the counter is pressed against the sides of the main part of the last and given its prescribed curvature.

20 and 21 represent the usual abutments for the molds 18 and 19 which are held in a slidable manner by brackets 22 and 23, secured to the table 3, and are backed up by springs 24 so as to move the molds in toward the last and press them against the counter with powerful yielding pressure when the carrier advances. In respect to the molds and their abutments, nothing new is created by this invention. They are shown here in order to illustrate more completely the relation which the new parts of the machine bears to the previously existing parts.

Other new features, however, are abutments 25 and 26, which are mounted on the brackets 22 and 23, supported by the inclined upper surfaces of pad elements 27 formed on the forward sides of the brackets, and connected in a slidable fashion by screws 28 which pass through slots 29 into the brackets. These abutments are supported and backed up by springs 30, having adjusting means 31, similarly to the springs 24 for the abutments 20 and 21. Onthe advancing ends of the pivoted press-ers 13 and 14 are inclined surfaces 32 which come into contact with the ends of the abutments 25 and 26as'the carrier advances and are by the latter pressed into the angle between the surfaces 7 and 8 of the plug forcibly against the interposed edge part of the counter blank.

The operation of the invention will be readily understandable from the drawings and the foregoing description. hen the counter blank is placed between the plug and the molds 18 and 19, its bottom edge part projects across the shoulder 18, and this part is pressed by the pressers 10, 13 and 14 with heavy pressure into the angle between the surfaces 7 and 8 and formed with the in turned flange Z) and protruding lip 7 lVhen the counter so formed is assembled with a shoe upper and innersole on a last, its lip extends alongside a stitch-receiving rib of similar outline on the innersole and is adapted to be united to the latter by stitches which also pass through the edge part of the lasted upper in the same way that the stitches of the inseam pass through the welt and upper and stitch-receiving rib of the innersole in the fore part of the shoe. After stitching, the superfluous stock at the edges of the upper, counter lip, and innersole rib, may be trimmed off and hammered or pressed inward against the bottom of the outersole, and the outersole afterwards applied and secured in any suitable way; either by a welt carried. all the way around the circuit of the shoe bottom, or by stitching to the welt in the fore part and nailing to the shoe bottom at the heel part.

What I claim and desire to secure by'Letters Patent is:

1. A counter molding machine comprising a last having on the side which'correspon-ds to the bottom of an ordinary last, an extension of smaller area than the body of the last end of generally similar outline there to, and having a shoulder adjacent to such extension, the face of which intersects the lateral bounding face of the extension at a sharp angle, molds complemental to the body of said last for conforming the body of a shoe counter to the sides thereof, a carrier movable in a plane parallel to the last bottom and in the longitudinal direction thereof, pressers mounted on said carrier in position to embrace said extension when the carrier is advanced, and means for moving said pressers relatively to the carrier with advance of the latter so as to bring them in closely embracing relationship to said extension; said pressers having inner faces forming an outline similar to the bounding surface of the extension and a rear face adjacent to the face of said shoulder, whereby the pressers are caused to indent the edge part of a counter blank protruding from be tween the last body and molds, and form the same into an inturned flange and an outwardly projecting lip.

2. In a counter molding machine, the combination of a last and complemental molds adapted to form prescribed contours in the body of a shoe counter, said last having a bottom shoulder in approximately the same plane with the adjacent end faces of said molds and an extension, the bounding faces of which are approximately perpendicular to such plane and are located within the outline of the cooperating molding faces of the last and molds, intersecting the face of said shoulder, a carrier movable back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the last and pressers mounted on said carrier with provision for relative movements transversly of said direction arranged to embrace said extension and having rear faces parallel and close to the plane of said shoulder, and inner faces complemental to the bounding surfaces of said extension, and means for forcing said pressers inward toward the sides of the extension when the carrier is fully advanced.

3. In a counter molding machine, a last having body surfaces to give the desired contours to the body portion of a shoe counter, a bottom flange forming shoulder and a protruding extension having lateral lip forming surfaces intersecting the surface of said shoulder, combined with molds embracing and complemental to the body faces of the last and pressers embracing said extension and having faces complemental thereto and to the said flange forming shoulders, a carrier on which said pressers are mounted and by which they are moved longitudinally of the last, and means for crowding the pressers inward toward the sides of the extension with advancement of the carrier.

4. In a counter molding machine, a carrier, means for moving said carrier in a straight line, a rear lip forming presser fixed to said carrier, lateral lip forming pressers pivoted to the carrier, all of said pressers having inner surfaces which collectively, when the lateral pressers are in a given position, form an outline generally similar to the outline of the body part of a shoe counter of a given size, but of shorter radii of curvature rier, means for moving said carrier in a straight line, a rear lip forming presser fixed to said carrier, lateral lip forming pressers pivoted to the carrier, all of said pressers having inner surfaces which collectively, when the lateral pressers are in a given position, form an outline generally similar to the outline of the body part of a shoe counter of a given size, but of shorter radii of curvature in corresponding parts, combined with a last having'a bottom extension with an outline similar to the above described outline and of approximately equal radii of curvature in corresponding parts, and means for relatively supporting and moving said last, carrier and pressers in such manner as to place the pressers in the above named position in register with the said extension.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

JOHN HAMMOND STEWART.

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